Timeline of Cleveland

This article is a of the history of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

18th century

• 1796 – Moses Cleaveland and survey party arrive at the location that would later become Cleveland.
• 1797 – Lorenzo Carter, a prominent early settler, arrives.

19th century

• 1800 – Trumbull County created, encompassing Cleveland.
• 1803 – Ohio becomes the 17th State admitted to the Union.
• 1805 – Geauga County created, encompassing Cleveland.
• 1808 – Lorenzo Carter builds the Zephyr, the first ship to be launched in Cleveland.
• 1810 – Cuyahoga County organized; Cleveland selected as county seat.
• 1813 – Oliver Hazard Perry wins the Battle of Lake Erie at Put-in-Bay in the War of 1812.
• 1814
• Cleveland receives its charter as a village.
• Newburgh Township created.
• 1815
• Alfred Kelley is elected the first president of the village of Cleveland.
• Euclid Avenue commissioned, subsequently known as Millionaires' Row.
• 1818 – The Cleveland Gazette and Commercial Register, Cleveland's first newspaper is published.
• 1822 – a free bridge is opened across the Cuyahoga River.
• 1827 – opening of the Ohio canal as far as Akron.
• 1830 – population: 1,076.
• 1831
• The Cleveland Advertiser alters the spelling of the community's name to Cleveland.
• James A. Garfield, 20th United States President, born in Orange Township.
• 1832 – Ohio and Erie Canal completed to the Ohio River.
• 1836
• Cleveland and Ohio City are incorporated as cities.
• John W. Willey is elected the first mayor of Cleveland.
• Bridge War between Cleveland and Ohio City takes place.
• 1837 – Cleveland City Council votes to create City Hospital, now MetroHealth.
• 1840 – population: 6,071.
• 1842 – The Plain Dealer begins publication.
• 1844 – Samuel Starkweather elected mayor.
• 1845 – City Bank of Cleveland (forerunner of National City Corp.) founded.
• 1847
• The Weddell House opens.
• The first telegraph line (from Cleveland to Pittsburgh) is completed.
• 1848 – Colored National Convention held in city.
• 1850
• William Case elected mayor.
• Population: 17,034.
• 1851 – Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad completed.
• 1852 – The Aliened American newspaper begins publication.
• 1853
• The Cleveland Theater opens.
• National Women's Rights Convention held.
• Woodland Cemetery established.
• 1854
• Ohio City annexed to Cleveland.
• William B. Castle elected mayor.
• The Cleveland Leader begins publication.
• 1860
• Perry Monument on Public Square dedicated.
• Population: 43,417.
• 1861
• Abraham Lincoln visits Cleveland.
• The American Civil War begins.
• 1865
• The American Civil War ends.
• Thousands of Clevelanders mourn the death of Lincoln.
• 1866 – Cleveland Police Department established.
• 1869
• Cleveland Public Library established.
• Lake View Cemetery opens.
• 1870
• Standard Oil Company in business.
• Population: 92,829.
• 1873
• Cleveland Bar Association established.
• Newburgh annexed to Cleveland.
• 1874 – First Woman's National Temperance Convention held in Cleveland, establishing the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
• 1875 – Euclid Avenue Opera House opens.
• 1876
• Charles F. Brush patents an electric generator.
• Riverside Cemetery Chapel & Riverside Cemetery Gatehouse built.
• 1878 – Penny Press, predecessor to the Cleveland Press, begins publication.
• 1880
• James A. Garfield, from Cleveland, elected 20th President of the United States.
• Case School of Applied Science established.
• Population: 160,146.
• 1881
• Garfield lies in state on Public Square after being assassinated, July 2.
• Adelbert Hall built.
• 1882
• Western Reserve College moves to Cleveland.
• Cleveland School of Art established.
• 1883 – John H. Farley elected mayor.
• 1884
• First electric streetcar run in the city; the first such installation in the country.
• Cleveland Electric Light Co. formed.
• 1887 – Michelson–Morley experiment conducted at Western Reserve University.
• 1890
• The Arcade opens.
• Garfield Monument dedicated in Lake View Cemetery.
• Population: 261,353.
• 1894
• May Day Riots of 1894
• Soldiers and Sailors Monument dedicated.
• 1895 – Robert E. McKisson elected mayor.
• 1896 – Cleveland celebrates its centennial.

• 1897 – Bohemian National Hall built.
• 1899
• Cleveland streetcar strike.
• John H. Farley re-elected mayor.
• 1900 – population: 381,768.

20th century

1900s–1940s

• 1901
• Tom L. Johnson elected mayor.
• The Cleveland Blues (predecessor to the Cleveland Guardians) are established as one of the first teams in the new American League.
• Cleveland worker and avowed anarchist, Leon Czolgosz assassinates U.S. President William McKinley in Buffalo, New York.
• 1905
• The Cleveland News begins publication
• Glenville and South Brooklyn annexed to Cleveland.
• 1908
• Collinwood School Fire
• More Streetcar strikes but less violent and unsuccessful.
• 1909
• Tom L. Johnson loses mayoral race to Herman C. Baehr.
• Corlett Village annexed to Cleveland.
• 1910
• Collinwood annexed to Cleveland.
• Cleveland Railway Company operated from 1910 to 1942.
• Population: 560,663.
• 1911
• Tom L. Johnson dies.
• Church of the Covenant established.
• 1912 – Village of Nottingham annexed to Cleveland.
• 1913
• The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 hits Cleveland.
• Home Rule City Charter approved by Cleveland voters.
• Cleveland Museum of Art established.
• Metropolitan Theatre opened.
• The first Community Chest, "Community Fund", founded in Cleveland.
• 1914
• Cleveland chosen as the Fourth District headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank.
• Cleveland Municipal Light Plant goes into operation.
• 1915 – Cleveland Play House and Western Reserve University's School of Applied Social Sciencehttps://web.archive.org/web/20140227092344/http://msass.case.edu/about/history.html established.
• 1916
• Cleveland Museum of Art opens.
• Cleveland City Hall dedicated.
• 1917 – Cleveland Metroparks organized.
• 1918
• Federal Court trial of Eugene V. Debs held in Cleveland.
• Detroit–Superior Bridge construction completed.
• The first Cleveland Cripple Survey was published; one of the first accurate disability censuses, that measured the social and economic conditions of individuals considered.
• 1919
• May Day Riots of 1919
• State Prohibition is enacted in Cleveland
• Voters approve placement of a new railroad terminal on Public Square.
• 1920
• Cleveland Institute of Music founded.
• Cleveland becomes the fifth-largest city in the nation.
• The Volstead Act and the Eighteenth Amendment become law.
• Cleveland Indians win the World Series.
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History established.
• Population: 796,841.
• 1921
• Cleveland Clinic and Playhouse Square established.
• KeyBank State Theatre built.
• Mimi Ohio Theatre opened.
• Hanna Theatre opened.
• 1922 – demolition for the Terminal Tower site begins
• 1923
• Federal Reserve bank building completed.
• Alcazar Hotel completed.
• 1924
• Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
• Mayor/Council form of government replaced by City Manager plan.
• 1925
• New Public Library building opens.
• Cleveland Airport (now Hopkins International) opens.
• University Hospitals incorporated.
• 1929
• Cleveland Clinic disaster occurs.
• National Air Race first held in Cleveland.
• The Stock Market crashes
• 1930 – The Tower City Center is dedicated.
• 1931
• Severance Hall dedicated.
• City Manager system reverts to the Mayor/Council form of government.
• Ray T. Miller elected mayor.
• 1932 – Hope Memorial Bridge construction completed.
• 1933
• Harry L. Davis returns as mayor.
• Depression-era unemployment peaks in Cleveland: nearly one-third of the city's citizens are out of work.
• Prohibition is repealed on December 23 – nearly eight months longer than the Eighteenth Amendment.
• 1935
• Harold Hitz Burton elected mayor.
• Eliot Ness becomes Safety Director of Cleveland.
• 1936 – Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
• 1937
• Cleveland Barons hockey team established.
• Cleveland Arena opens.
• Cleveland Rams begin to play professional football.
• John D. Rockefeller dies.
• 1938
• Cleveland Memorial Shoreway opens between East 9th Street and Gordon Park.
• Clevelander Jesse Owens wins four gold medals at Berlin Olympic Games.
• Great Lakes Exposition opens.
• Cleveland Torso Murderer with up to 20 victims.
• 1939 – Main Avenue Bridge opened.
• 1940 – NACA, forerunner of NASA, established at the Cleveland airport.
• 1941
• Frank Lausche elected mayor.
• Western Reserve Red Cats win the Sun Bowl, the city's first college football bowl game.
• 1942 – Cleveland Bomber Plant (now the I-X Center) opens at Municipal Airport.
• 1944 – Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion claims 130 lives.
• 1945
• Thomas A. Burke elected mayor.
• Cleveland Rams win NFL football title then move to Los Angeles.
• 1946
• Cleveland Browns are founded and begin play in All-America Football Conference.
• Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
• 1947
• Operations begin at the lakefront airport.
• First telecast by WEWS, Ohio's first television station.
• Eliot Ness runs for mayor of Cleveland but is defeated by incumbent Thomas A. Burke.
• Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
• 1948
• Cleveland Indians win World Series.
• Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
• 1949
• Cleveland named an All-America City for first time.
• Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.

1950s-1990s

• 1950
• Cleveland Browns begin play in National Football League.
• Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
• 1953 – Anthony J. Celebrezze elected mayor.
• 1954
• Last streetcars run.
• Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
• 1955
• Rapid Transit begins operation.
• Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
• 1959 – Boddie Recording Company in business.
• 1960
• Erieview urban renewal plan unveiled.
• Final issue of the Cleveland News published.
• 1961 - Mapp v. Ohio
• 1962
• Ralph S. Locher elected mayor.
• Innerbelt Freeway opens for its full length.
• 1964
• Erieview Tower completed.
• Cleveland State University established.
• Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
• 1965 – WVIZ, an educational television station, begins broadcasting.
• 1966
• Hough Riots
• Cuyahoga Community College opens its Metro Campus.
• 1967
• Carl B. Stokes elected the first African American mayor of a major American city.
• Case Western Reserve University established.
• 1968
• Glenville Shootout
• Terry v. Ohio
• 1969
• A burning oil slick on the Cuyahoga River attracts national attention regarding pollution.
• Euclid Beach Park closes.
• 1970 – Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team organized.
• 1972 – Cleveland Magazine begins publication.
• 1973 – Cleveland Barons play their last hockey game.
• 1974 – Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority established.
• 1976 – desegregation of the Cleveland Public Schools ordered by U.S. District Judge Frank J. Battisti.
• 1977 – Dennis Kucinich elected mayor.
• 1978
• Cleveland is hit by the Great Blizzard of 1978
• 1978 recall election
• December 15, Cleveland becomes the first American city to go into default since the Depression.
• 1979
• George Voinovich elected mayor.
• Cleveland Foodbank established.
• 1980 – presidential debate between candidates Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan held in Cleveland.
• 1981
• Cleveland Public Theatre opened.
• City Council reduced from 33 to 21 members.
• Term of office for mayor and council members increased from two to four years.
• 1982
• Ground broken for the Sohio (BP) Building on Public Square.
• The Cleveland Press ceases publication.
• Cleveland named an All-America City for second time.
• 1984 – Cleveland named an All-America City for third time.
• 1986
• Cleveland named an All-America City for fourth time.
• Cleveland selected as site for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• 1987 – Cleveland emerges from default.
• 1988 – Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Case Western Reserve University's Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change established.
• 1989 – Michael R. White elected mayor.
• 1991 – Key Tower "topped off" at 947 ft (289 m).
• 1993 – Cleveland named an All-America City for fifth time.
• 1995
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens.
• Indians win American League championship.
• Bishop Anthony Pilla is elected to the presidency of USCCB
• 1996
• Cleveland celebrates its bicentennial.
• Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony win a Grammy for "Tha Crossroads"
• 1997 – Cleveland Indians win the American League pennant and return to the World Series.
• 1999 – the new Cleveland Browns Stadium opens with the return of the Cleveland Browns.

21st century

• 2001 – Cleveland Barons are revived.
• 2002 – Cleveland citizens elect Jane L. Campbell as the first female mayor of Cleveland.
• 2003 – 2003 North America blackout
• 2004 – vice-presidential candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards debate at Case Western Reserve University.
• 2005 – Frank G. Jackson is the first sitting city councillor to be elected mayor since Stephen Buhrer in 1867.
• 2006
• Barons leave Cleveland for the second time.
• Cleveland, Columbus, and other Ohio cities argue against a bill passed by the Ohio House legislature that will eliminate residency rules.
• 2007
• Cleveland is hit with a major winter storm in February, leaving 15 inches of snow.
• October 20, Cleveland became the first television market in the United States to have all of its local television stations to broadcast in high definition.
• 2008 – Cuyahoga County federal corruption investigation.
• 2009
• The Ohio Supreme Court upholds the 2006 law prohibiting residency requirements.
• Frank Jackson wins a second term as Mayor of Cleveland.
• November, Ohio Voters open Ohio to casino gambling and Cleveland will have a casino by 2013.
• Cleveland is selected by the International Gay Games committee to host the 2014 Gay Games. Cleveland beat out Boston, Washington DC, and Hamburg Germany.
• 2010 – population: 396,815.
• 2011 – construction begins on the Medical Mart and new convention center, scheduled to open late 2013.
• 2013 – Frank Jackson wins a third term as Mayor of Cleveland against Kenneth Lanci.
• 2014
• Shooting of Tamir Rice
• Hosts the international 2014 Gay Games, also known as Gay Games 9
• 2015 – Chief U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. signs consent decree for the Cleveland Division of Police.
• 2016
• Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA Championship.
• Lake Erie Monsters win the Calder Cup and then are renamed Cleveland Monsters.
• Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
• The Cleveland Indians face the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series.
• 2017 – Frank Jackson wins a fourth term as Mayor of Cleveland, becoming the city's longest-serving mayor.
• 2018 – Cleveland's population begins to flatten as Downtown population increases.
• 2019
• The Beacon completed in Downtown Cleveland.
• Cuyahoga River named "River of the Year" by the American Rivers conservation association.
• 2020
• Population: 372,624.
• The COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio begins when Ohio Governor Mike DeWine reports the earliest cases of the virus to be in Cuyahoga County.
• George Floyd protests take place in Cleveland and most major U.S. cities.
• The Lumen tower completed in Downtown Cleveland.
• Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic host the first 2020 U.S. presidential debate at the Health Education Campus (HEC).
• 2021
• 2021 NFL draft held in Cleveland at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Frank Jackson announces that he will not pursue a fifth term as mayor.
• The Cleveland Indians assume the name the Cleveland Guardians.
• Justin Bibb elected mayor.

See also

• History of Cleveland
• Bibliography of Cleveland

Other cities in Ohio

• Timeline of Cincinnati
• Timeline of Columbus, Ohio
• Timeline of Toledo, Ohio

References

External links

• Cleveland History Timeline, The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (Case Western Reserve University)